Gene Upshaw

Eugene Thurman Upshaw Jr. (August 15, 1945 – August 20, 2008) was an American professional football guard who played for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League and later the National Football League. Born in Robstown, Texas, he graduated from Robstown High School and played college football at Texas A&I University, an NAIA program now known as Texas A&M University–Kingsville. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. In 1967, at age 22, Upshaw married Jimmye Lee Hill-Upshaw; the couple had one son, Eugene Upshaw III, and later divorced.

After lining up at a number of offensive line positions in college, Upshaw settled at left offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders, a post he held across both the AFL and NFL for fifteen years. During that span he played in three Super Bowls and became the only player in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with the same team in three different decades. Following his playing career, he served as executive director of the National Football League Players Association. Upshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.